A 17-year-old girl has been killed by a shark in Western Australia.
She was attacked around 4pm local time off a beach at Esperance in WA’s south, around 720km from Perth, while surfing with her father.
The girl, from Mandurah, sustained critical injuries in the attack and was treated at the beach by paramedics before being taken to hospital. Police later confirmed she had died from her injuries.
Seven News Perth reported that the girl’s mother and siblings watched the attack happen from the shore. The network said the girl was bitten on the leg and suffered heavy blood loss.
The species of shark involved isn’t known, but great whites are common off the WA coast, especially around Esperance, where there are seal colonies.
It’s the first fatal shark attack this year in WA. PerthNow reported that the attack took place at the same place Sean Pollard, another surfer, lost his right hand and his left arm in a shark attack in 2014.
Join the conversation about this story »
NOW WATCH: The disturbing reason some people turn red when they drink alcohol